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Teaching fiction in a college setting can be rewarding for the teacher and the students. The teacher can share their love of stories with a group of interested learners, while the students can take active reading skills with them to their other classes. Many elements can determine a successful class, such as the right book, the format of the class, and writing assignments.
Picking a good book to assign for the class can be a daunting task for the teacher. A good book should have a wide variety of short stories, especially if students may not take future literature classes. The teacher may want to pick a book that provides a comprehensive selection of stories from around the world. If the teacher is new to teaching literature, they may want a book that contains questions after the stories in order to guide class discussions and assignments. Many teachers are also mindful of the students’ financial investment in the book. While a large textbook with many stories and authors may be appealing to the teacher, the student may have to pay a significant amount for that book.
Literature classes can also provide a variety of teaching methods. Many instructors are comfortable with lecturing, but many students need active learning methods. Arranging students into groups to discuss each story with specific questions can encourage quiet students to participate in a non-threatening setting. Collecting notes from the groups and having a class-wide discussion can lead to an environment where many aspects of the story can be discussed and many students participate.
Incorporating writing into the literature class is important for students to develop their own ideas about fiction. While it is important for students to complete essays about the work, teachers can also encourage students to develop creative writing around works of fiction, which can broaden students’ thinking about writing.
